The animal kingdom is full of mamas raising their adorable young. These wild mothers teach their offspring valuable lessons about survival. Sometimes, though, babies just want to play. When these heartwarming moments are caught on camera, even the coldest heart will melt. These are our favorite pictures of mamas in the wild with their munchkins. Stick around to see a monkey mama keeping its baby warm in the cold!
The Softer Side Of Tigers
This tiger taking care of her cub is so endearing our hearts are growing. The Amur tiger cub above is four-months-old and living free on a nature reserve in England.
These animals are rare in the wild, but efforts to bring the species back have become commonplace in the United Kingdom. The release of this cub into the reserve to reunite with its mama took place on International Tiger Day in 2015.
A Giraffe Mom In Love
This mother giraffe cleaning her 20-day-old calf was captured at the Alipore Zoological Garden in 2013. The birth of the newborn signaled a rise in giraffe population.
We can't get over how in love with her baby this mother is. She might be licking her child, but it looks more like a loving nuzzle to us. The next image is cute and elegant at the same time.
Nap Time Is Family Time
Trying to stay warm in pouring rain, this baby swan has nestled into the safety of its mother's warm feathers. This photo from 2008 shines an amazing light on the recovery of the swan population in England after a bird flu outbreak decimated the species.
The birth was one of 600 for the season, which nearly doubled the size living at the Abbotsbury Swannery.
Fluffy Polar Bear Cub!
This polar bear mama watches over her cub art the Marineland Animal Exhibition Park in Antibes. The park, located in France, is helping grow the polar bear population.
The mother, named Flocke, looks to be having a blast playing with her baby outside. The baby, on the other hand, looks like it's about ready for a nap!
Don't Talk Back To Mom, Especially When She's A Lion!
We don't know what this lioness cub said to her mama, but it must not have been very nice! She's getting quite the earful. This incredible photo was taken in Tanzania in 2017 at the Serengeti National Park.
Lions are one of the most popular animals at zoos worldwide. Through conservation and breeding efforts, zoos have helped revitalize the population of Lions. Being able to pay their bills is nice compensation for their hard work.
A Proud Lemur And Her Babies
Taken in May 2018, this eye-catching photo shows a mother lemur looking proud while she carries her babies on her back. The bond between mama lemurs and their young is one of the strongest in the animal kingdom.
The bond goes beyond their offspring. In lemur society, females are the dominant gender. This hierarchy is true for every species of lemur in the wild. Just around the corner is a monkey keeping her baby warm when it's too cold outside.
Everything Is Going To Be Okay, Little Monkey
This monkey mother cradles her baby, letting it know everything is going to be alright. The infant monkey will stay attached to its mother for a long time.
Some species of monkeys have been observed still raising their young into their teenage years. After such amazing parenting, this baby will become a parent itself one day.
Rhinos Enjoying The Outdoors Together
Say hello to Yang, a newborn rhino at the Warsaw Zoo. One-month-old at the time this picture was taken, the weather was perfect for Yang and his mother to enjoy the outdoors together.
Yang is the youngest of four siblings. He was born in perfect health, weighing 97 pounds. At present, the Warsaw Zoo is the only Polish Zoo that has helped birth Asian rhinos.
A Donkey And Her Foal
This foal is one of 40 million donkeys in the world. Unlike most working donkeys, this mother and daughter will spend the next few years together living peacefully at the Cotswold Wildlife Park in England.
Historically donkeys have been domesticated to become working animals. They are most commonly found in undeveloped countries. You won't believe what family our next mother and child belong too!
Patagonian Nose Boops Are The Cutest
This adorable nose boop between a mama Patagonian Mara and her baby was photographed in April 2018. The pair has arrived in England just in time for a spring heatwave.
The Patagonian Mara may look like a rabbit, but it's actually a member of the rodent family. Litters of up to 22 can be born at one time, so this baby might have a lot of brothers and sisters!
Wombat Baby Exploring The World
This young Wombat lives in Germany and is named Apari. Behind him is his mother, Tinsel. Native to Australia, this critters traveled a long way to end up in Duisburg!
Considered marsupials, researchers have to learn the evolutionary path that the wombat went through. We don't know, this guy looks more a rodent to us. Then again, the Patagonian Mara looks like a rabbit and isn't!
Proud Zebra Mom
A 12-day-old zebra plays with his mother out of sight from the public at the Alipore Zoological Garden. In a matter of days, he will become available for public viewing for the first time.
Zebras are the only member of the horse family that has never successfully been domesticated. Stay wild, little guy! Next up, find out why baby pandas fur is red!
Pandas At Play
One of two cubs, Yuan Meng plays with his mother at the Beauval Zoo in Central France. Yuan Meng's mother and father are on a ten-year loan from China. They are the only giant pandas living in France.
Yuan Meng's fur is red because of a chemical reaction caused by his mother's saliva. By the time the panda cub is one, he will weight up to 100 pounds!
Orangutans Loving Life In 2018
Khansa is a baby orangutan at the Singapore Zoological Garden. Her mother is named Anita and doesn't seem to mind her munchkin pulling her hair.
The wildlife preserve has done incredible work to rejuvenate ailing numbers of various animal species. In 2017, they reported over 540 births and hatchings, with a quarter of them being from threatened species.
A Christmas Miracle!
This baby elephant weight 200 pounds after being born of Christmas in 2017. This picture was taken three days after the Christmas miracle. We hope she can handle the cold living her life at the Palnckendael Zoo in Belgium.
Considered a keystone species, conservation efforts by this zoo and many others will help keep elephant number high. Without these majestic animals, certain ecosystems would be devastated.
Bengal Tiger Mama Needs A Vacation
There is no job more difficult in the world than being a mother. The look of exhaustion on this Bengal tiger mama's face says it all. Of course, she probably loves every minute of the chaos. She just needs a weekend to herself.
Incredibly rare, white Bengal tigers lack color because they are missing the pigmentation in the genes to turn them orange. In even rarer cases, white Bengal tigers can be stripeless! Moving on from big cats, coming up we have a mama wolf and her historic offspring.
Out Come The Wolves
This wolf pup is one of a large litter born in Costworld Wildlife Park in 2017. The Eurasian wolf cubs are the result of a Swedish breeding program to help population numbers.
The birth of this wolf sparked a celebration. It was the first wolf cub to be born in the park in 47 years! The mother doesn't know how important that birth is, all she knows that she loves her cubs.
A Whale And Her Calf Surprise Tourists
Tourists off the coast of California were delighted in 2017 when they were visited by a grey whale mom and her calf. The whales swam right up to the tourists, curious to meet them.
Grey whales are one of the few animals you will never see in captivity. Attempts have failed, as the whales are large migratory animals. In most cases, they either get sick or too big for their enclosure.
Wild Orcas Splish Splashing Around
Here we have orcas at play. It might hard to tell, but that is a mother splashing with her calf. The photo was taken in 2015 off Wrangell Island in Southeast, Alaska.
When orca calves are born, they can be up to eight feet long and can weigh up to 350 pounds. When full grown, an orca can reach 32-feet long and weight six tons!
Penguin Love At First Sight
Wildlife photographer Chantelle Stobbe traveled to the Falkland Islands in 2015 to capture this adorable photo. Bluff Lagoon is a penguin hotspot on the islands, and this pair stood out among the pack.
According to Stobbe, this baby penguin loves the camera and happily posed for portraits with its mama.
